Conservation

Survey consistent with Bay-wide results; Susquehanna Flats beds remain healthy Underwater bay grass acreage throughout much of Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay suffered a setback in 2006 as a result of high rainfalls in many parts of
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The EPA is proposing that measurable limits be established for algae concentrations in the Bay and portions of its tidal tributaries to provide an added layer of protection for the Chesapeake, and reduce the risk of harmful algal blooms.

In September, the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program Office released draft water quality criteria for chlorophyll a—a measure of the amount of algae in the water—which, if adopted by the states, would join water clarity and dissolved oxygen as the key measures that indicate whether areas of the Chesapeake are healthy or “impaired.”

The criteria are open for public comment until Oct. 13. Developed in consultation with representatives from all of the states in the Bay watershed, the criteria are expected to eventually be adopted as legally enforceable water quality standards by jurisdictions bordering tidal waters.

The EPA in 2003 developed Bay-specific dissolved oxygen and water clarity criteria which, when they were adopted by the states, became the driving force for nutrient and sediment reductions throughout the
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